Natasha Richardson's acting career "melded glamorous celebrity with the bloodline of theater royalty," said Bruce Weber in The New York Times. Richardson, who died Wednesday after suffering head injuries in a skiing accident, "was an intense and absorbing actress" unafraid of taking demanding roles. "Classically trained, she was admired on both sides of the Atlantic for upholding the traditions of one of the great acting families of the modern age."

"Whenever an actor dies unexpectedly in the midst of a fruitful career," said Charles McNulty in the Los Angeles Times, "it's impossible not to mourn the future possibilities that have been suddenly and cruelly foreclosed." Richardson, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave, will be remembered for her performance in the 1998 Broadway revival of "Cabaret," which earned her a Tony, and for films such as "Patty Hearst" and "The Comfort of Strangers." But she was only 45—she should have had more opportunities to demonstrate the range of her talent.

"This one hurts all around," said Josh Horowitz in MTV.com. Yes, it hurts because Natasha Richardson was a fine actress and "proud carrier" of the Redgrave tradition. But it also hurts because Richardson and her husband, actor Liam Neeson, "just oozed charm and class." But mostly Richardson's death hurts when you think of her grieving family—her grieving husband, mother, "and, tragically, her two young sons."